There is a movement happening that encourages women to birth without fear—to trust their bodies, their instincts, and their babies. The positivity that comes from this is incredible, uniting, and extremely empowering…but, is it entirely realistic? For me, I found that it was not. I found myself frustrated that I could not completely do away with my fears surrounding birth, particularly when hoping for a successful VBAC.

The only organ that is grown as an adult, the placenta is responsible for transferring oxygenated blood and nutrients to the baby, as well as filtering some toxins and bacteria. It even produces opioids and several hormones, including estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Notably, the stimulus for breastmilk production after birth is the separation of the placenta from the uterine wall.

At first glance, most people don’t see the connection between chiropractic care and pregnancy. However, having a nervous system in optimal working condition and structural support help both mother and child during the pregnancy, birth process, and postpartum period.

Being born is a natural process. With every pregnancy comes hormonal changes, a shift in body weight, and a laxity of connective tissues. New stresses are experienced by the lower back and pelvis. Regular chiropractic care during pregnancy helps maintain balance, …

Childbirth is carefully prepared for and is the conclusion of the amazing journey that is pregnancy. However, when we zoom out a little, we instead see birth as just the beginning of the journey that is parenthood. Pregnancy and childbirth are the first opportunities parents’ have to make decisions for and about their child. This can be an intimidating experience for some, especially if it means standing up to people who you love and respect. Think of this time as …

Catching up on my google reader today and it started with an interesting post by Rixa at Stand and Deliver commenting on a post by Birth Sense about her recent trip to The 56th annual meeting of the American College of Nurse Midwives held in San Antonio. Of interest was speaker, Dr. Andrew Kotaska whose talk was titled “When Autonomy and Beneficence Collide”.

Sunday I attended the ICAN movie screening of “Laboring Under An Illusion: Mass Media Childbirth vs. the Real Thing.” The movie was great but the best part of the event was the discussion that followed. Our local birth celebrities, Pat Nielson, Alexa Shea, Susan Fisher and Nicole King facilitated a discussion with the audience. A lot of fun and thought provoking topics were discussed but the thing that stuck in my head was a comment I heard over and over …

There are so many options when thinking of positions for labor and birth. Most people think of lying in a bed for the duration of their birth experience but there are benefits from trying several different birth positions. Experimenting with a variety of positions can help relieve pain and discomfort during labor in addition to utilizing gravity to help move the baby to the optimal position for birth. I cannot stress enough how important it is to get up and …

The La Leche League of Georgia is having an awesome conference this year October 1-3, 2010. I am very sad that I will be unable to attend, but I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to go because the seminar presentations look awesome.

Register Online here
Today is the last day for online registration. Walk-in registrations are welcome, with a $10 additional fee.